The World of Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time - The Strike at Shayol Ghul Read Free

fateful day
    at Shayol Ghul ended the war, and began the Breaking of the World.
    The most suitable comment surely comes from what appears to be the introduction
    of the fragmentary manuscript. "Whoever read this, if any remain to read it,
    weep for us who have no more tears. Pray for us who are damned alive."
     
     
     
     
    Author's Note
    All volumes of "The Complete History of the War of the Shadow" and "The Breaking
    of the World" will be available by subscription upon application to Mistress
    Jorille Mondevin at the Palace of Aesdaishan in Chachin.
    End Notes
    (1) Speculation of the wilder sort is rife among some who call themselves
    historians, and the discovery of this material has resulted in the expected from
    the usual quarters. Would the great sa'angreal have proven effective used as
    Patra Posae desired? Had the seals been placed by a circle comprised of men and
    women together, might the men, or even saidin itself, have been protected in
    some fasion from the Dark One's counter stroke? Or would saidar have been
    tainted as well? The last possibility is enough to curdle the coldest blood, yet
    the fact is that events transpired as they transpired, and such speculation is
    no more than a fireside game to frighten the gullible. Those I speak of will
    know who I mean.
    (2) According to the manuscript pages, all of the agents responsible for this
    smuggling were caught, though that was not known until events had far outrun
    anyone's plans. They were brave men and women, for although those who were not
    killed outright were tortured, and though some revealed the purpose of their
    mission, none betrayed the location of any of the access ter'angreal. Still, the
    only real result was that the ter'angreal were widely scattered across areas
    held for the Shadow, their locations and even their existence to remain hidden
    for millennia.
    (3) The manuscript indicates that there were several peace factions during the
    course of the war. Or perhaps only one, with fortunes that waxed and waned. It
    is clear that several times during the war this group sent parties at its own
    initiative to the Forsaken seeking a negotiated settlement, and that upon
    returning, members of each of these delegations were later discovered carrying
    out activities that aided the Shadow's cause, though it seems that in some
    instances, they were completely unaware of what they had done. It is a wonder
    that those people did not remember a saying that is supposed to have originated
    during the War of the Shadow. "There is never peace with the Shadow."
    (4) Before her death during the Breaking (which cannot be specified from the
    evidence of the manuscript, unfortunately either as to time or place), Latra
    Posae apparently rose to a prominence which rivaled that of Lews Therin before
    her. During the fighting aginst the Shadowsworn before the Breaking put an end
    to what by that time seemed inconsequential by comparison, she gained the name
    Shadar Nor, best translated as "Cutter of the Shadow" or perhaps "Slicer of the
    Shadow" (the difficulties of precise translation from the Old Tongue, with all
    its multiple meanings, will always remain with us). It is thus ironic that no
    other document yet discovered so much as mentions her name or acomplishments.
    Perhaps this will serve to restore Latra Posae Decume to her proper place in
    history.